UFC Fight Night ‘Bader vs. St. Preux’ Preview

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Welterweights

Seth Baczynski (19-11, 5-4 UFC) vs. Alan Jouban (9-2, 0-0 UFC)

The Matchup: This is an odd choice for a main-card bout, even for a midrange event on Fox Sports 1. Jouban makes his debut and joins Mike Rhodes, Zach Makovsky, Brian Ortega and Pedro Munhoz as former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champions now fighting in the UFC, although he is not on their level as a prospect. Baczynski is a nine-fight UFC veteran most notable for his ridiculous size -- a well-built 6-foot-4 -- for welterweight and a submission victory over Matt Brown nearly three years ago, the brawling Ohioan’s last loss before embarking on his epic run. Although Baczynski made it competitive against Thiago Alves in his last outing, the defeat dropped him to 1-3 in his last four appearances, and it seems likely that his job is on the line against Jouban.

That description might be a touch uncharitable to Baczynski. He is quite well-rounded, with an opportunistic submission arsenal in transitions and good output in his striking game, both of which benefit from his rangy frame. He has some power in his hands, and if he can get top position, his ground-and-pound is dangerous.

Baczynski is not, however, much of a wrestler: Opponents who have attempted to take him down have succeeded, and he has not had much success imposing his own takedowns.

A technical striker with the rugged toughness of a brawler, Jouban features a hard left hand and kick to the body from his southpaw stance. He has some pop in his hands and is willing to exchange, though he occasionally makes himself vulnerable to wrestlers who exploit his aggressiveness with reactive takedowns. On the ground, Jouban’s guard is proficient, a product of his time training under Eddie Bravo, and from top position, he drops bombs in his ground-and-pound.

Betting Odds: Baczynski (-140), Jouban (+120)

The Pick: This should be a quick-paced, exciting bout between a pair of durable fighters featuring action on the feet and quick scrambles and submission attempts on the ground. In the end, Baczynski’s freakish size for the division and deep experience against excellent competition will be the difference-makers in a unanimous decision.

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